verb

disarm

to disarm

The police disarmed the suspect.

The police disarmed the suspect.

Her smile was enough to disarm him.

Her smile was enough to disarm him.

The country agreed to disarm its nuclear weapons.

The country agreed to disarm its nuclear weapons.

((sb.)) to take weapons from (sb.) The officer disarmed the gunman.

((sb.)) to make (sb.) less hostile or suspicious His charming smile disarmed the angry customer.

Synonyms: demilitarize, neutralize; Antonyms: arm, equip

From the prefix 'dis-' (remove) and 'arm' (weapon). Literally 'to remove weapons'.

Picture taking the 'arms' (weapons) away from someone. This can be literal (a gun) or figurative (hostility).

This page is designed for learning support. Please use it as a learning reference, not as a formal reference.